Hume Lake
| Hume Lake | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location |
Sequoia National Forest Fresno County, California |
| Coordinates | 36°47′29″N 118°54′21″W / 36.7913°N 118.9059°WCoordinates: 36°47′29″N 118°54′21″W / 36.7913°N 118.9059°W |
| Lake type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Tenmile Creek Long Meadow Creek |
| Primary outflows | Tenmile Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 87 acres (35 ha) |
| Surface elevation | 1,585 m (5,200 ft) |
| Settlements | Hume, California |
| References | U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Hume Lake |
Hume Lake is a reservoir in the Sierra Nevada, within Sequoia National Forest and Fresno County, central California,.
It is on Tenmile Creek, which is a tributary of the Kings River, and adjacent to the unincorporated community of Hume.
The surface elevation of the lake is 1,585 m (5,200 ft). It is accessible from California Route 180, via Forest Service road 30, and is about 50 mi (80 km) east of Fresno, not far from the west entrance to Kings Canyon National Park.
The 87-acre (35 ha) lake lies behind the world's first concrete reinforced multiple arch dam, designed by John S. Eastwood and constructed in 1908 by the Hume-Bennett Lumber Company. During lumber operations, the lake stored logs for an adjacent mill and supplied water for a flume used to transport the cut lumber to Sanger, California.
Since the cessation of logging in 1924, Hume Lake has shifted from primarily industrial use and is now primarily used for recreation.
The Hume-Bennett Lumber Company was formed in 1905 when Thomas Hume and Ira B. Bennett purchased the Sanger Lumber Company. Little uncut lumber remained in the vicinity of the mill in the Converse Basin so a new location was sought closer to uncut stands of timber. This meant that the company would have to move deeper into the mountains. Tenmile Creek was the next tributary of the Kings River, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Converse Basin. The creek flowed through an area known as Long Meadow. This location was promising for the company because it could be converted into a reservoir that would serve two functions for the company. First, it would provide storage for logs cut from surrounding virgin groves. From this body of water, floating logs could be drawn into an adjacent mill to be cut. Second, the rough cut lumber could then be transported out of the mountains in a flume filled with water from the reservoir.
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